Bigpineguy Retired
10-23-2011, 07:27 AM
How To Fix A Wobbling Ceiling Fan http://handymantricks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/wobblingceilingfan-300x300.jpgIf it’s one thing that really irritates me, it’s a wobbling ceiling fan! Even one that is just a tiny bit out of balance can drive me nuts. I just can’t take my eyes off of one that is wobbling. Here’s another home repair tip that will have you adjusting those fans and getting them running nice and smooth.
Before doing anything, clean the fan blades and the motor housing. I use a dry lint cloth to get all the dirt. Clean them good! You’d be surprised at how little amount of dirt it takes to make a fan wobble!
The next thing you want to do when fixing a wobbling ceiling fan is to check the bolts/screws on the fan blades. Check both the screws hat hold the blade to the arm as well as the screws that hold the arm to the fan motor. If you find any of these loose, tighten them and start the fan to see if it still wobbles. Make sure you operate the ceiling fan on all speeds. I’ve seen more than one fan have a wobble at a certain speed.
Next, check the blades their self. If you find any damaged, bent, warped or otherwise a blade that is different from the others, you may need to replace the fan blades. Wooden blades are more susceptible to damage, especially if they are made out of cheap wood and used in a high humidity area such as along the coastal areas. I’ve seen fan blades drooping so bad that they were hazards to people walking under them.
One time, while having Sunday dinner in a cafe, a blade from a ceiling fan came sailing off and barely missed my daughter who was 4 at the time. To say I was P.O.’d would be an understatement because most of the ceiling fans in that place were unbalanced. I gave the Manager a what for and explained to him that I didn’t want to own the restaurant but that if someone gets hurt from their lack of maintenance on their ceiling fans, they could go ahead and change the name of the restaurant to mine.
On my next visit, all the fans were running smoothly and some of the older ones had even been replaced!
Anyway, back to balancing a wobbling ceiling fan.
If the above measures don’t help balance the ceiling fan, then you’re going to have to try and balance the blades. Usually, when all else fails, this works. I don’t know why ceiling fan blades become unbalanced, but they do. To correct unbalanced ceiling fans, you’re going to need a balancing kit for ceiling fans. These are usually just a few bucks and I buy mine from Amazon.Comhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00061NMYE&camp=217153&creative=399701 because they so cheap. I usually buy several to have handy or to give friends and family when they complain about a wobbly ceiling fan. They are very handy and a lot less stressful than trying to tape quarters or washers to the backs of the fan blades.(which often fails)
Balancing kits for ceiling fans come with a ‘C’ clip weight which is the temporary weight. Most will also come with permanent weights to attach to the blade once you find the unbalanced blade.
To find which weight is out of balance, you just attach the ‘C’ clip to each blade and run the fan. Start by attaching the ‘C’ clip to the end of a blade and turn it back on. If that doesn’t fix it, move the clip about halfway down the blade and try again. If it still doesn’t fix it, move it down to the base of the blade. If that doesn’t work, then go on to the next blade. This may sound like a lot of work, but it only takes me about 30 minutes most of the time if a ceiling fan is badly out of balance.
Also, be aware that once you find the wobbling blade, you may have to move the weight forward or back on the blade to balance it. Many people assume that they can just put the clip at the end and be done with it. That’s not true and one reason some people can never fix a wobbling ceiling fan!
Once you do find the one that wobbles and find the “sweet” spot for the ‘C’ clip, you can then attach the permanent weight. Try the fan again after removing the ‘C’ clip and installing the permanent weight. If everything went well, this should fix a wobbling ceiling fan!
Before doing anything, clean the fan blades and the motor housing. I use a dry lint cloth to get all the dirt. Clean them good! You’d be surprised at how little amount of dirt it takes to make a fan wobble!
The next thing you want to do when fixing a wobbling ceiling fan is to check the bolts/screws on the fan blades. Check both the screws hat hold the blade to the arm as well as the screws that hold the arm to the fan motor. If you find any of these loose, tighten them and start the fan to see if it still wobbles. Make sure you operate the ceiling fan on all speeds. I’ve seen more than one fan have a wobble at a certain speed.
Next, check the blades their self. If you find any damaged, bent, warped or otherwise a blade that is different from the others, you may need to replace the fan blades. Wooden blades are more susceptible to damage, especially if they are made out of cheap wood and used in a high humidity area such as along the coastal areas. I’ve seen fan blades drooping so bad that they were hazards to people walking under them.
One time, while having Sunday dinner in a cafe, a blade from a ceiling fan came sailing off and barely missed my daughter who was 4 at the time. To say I was P.O.’d would be an understatement because most of the ceiling fans in that place were unbalanced. I gave the Manager a what for and explained to him that I didn’t want to own the restaurant but that if someone gets hurt from their lack of maintenance on their ceiling fans, they could go ahead and change the name of the restaurant to mine.
On my next visit, all the fans were running smoothly and some of the older ones had even been replaced!
Anyway, back to balancing a wobbling ceiling fan.
If the above measures don’t help balance the ceiling fan, then you’re going to have to try and balance the blades. Usually, when all else fails, this works. I don’t know why ceiling fan blades become unbalanced, but they do. To correct unbalanced ceiling fans, you’re going to need a balancing kit for ceiling fans. These are usually just a few bucks and I buy mine from Amazon.Comhttp://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B00061NMYE&camp=217153&creative=399701 because they so cheap. I usually buy several to have handy or to give friends and family when they complain about a wobbly ceiling fan. They are very handy and a lot less stressful than trying to tape quarters or washers to the backs of the fan blades.(which often fails)
Balancing kits for ceiling fans come with a ‘C’ clip weight which is the temporary weight. Most will also come with permanent weights to attach to the blade once you find the unbalanced blade.
To find which weight is out of balance, you just attach the ‘C’ clip to each blade and run the fan. Start by attaching the ‘C’ clip to the end of a blade and turn it back on. If that doesn’t fix it, move the clip about halfway down the blade and try again. If it still doesn’t fix it, move it down to the base of the blade. If that doesn’t work, then go on to the next blade. This may sound like a lot of work, but it only takes me about 30 minutes most of the time if a ceiling fan is badly out of balance.
Also, be aware that once you find the wobbling blade, you may have to move the weight forward or back on the blade to balance it. Many people assume that they can just put the clip at the end and be done with it. That’s not true and one reason some people can never fix a wobbling ceiling fan!
Once you do find the one that wobbles and find the “sweet” spot for the ‘C’ clip, you can then attach the permanent weight. Try the fan again after removing the ‘C’ clip and installing the permanent weight. If everything went well, this should fix a wobbling ceiling fan!